


And the Reason Is You

by Mischel



Series: Merlin Rewatch 2020 [8]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Episode: s01e08 The Beginning of the End, First Kiss, Good Morgana (Merlin), Kid Mordred (Merlin), M/M, Merlin & Morgana Friendship (Merlin), POV Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), POV Merlin (Merlin), Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:55:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24076327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mischel/pseuds/Mischel
Summary: What if Merlin took little Mordred to hide in Arthur's chambers instead of Morgana's? Would Arthur betray his own father in order to help them or would he hand them over to the guards instead?When Merlin bursts through the door and sees Arthur there, he has no idea what the prince will do. But the length to which Arthur is willing to go for Merlin will surprise them both.Set in the episode 1x08 The Beginning of the End.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Merlin Rewatch 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1670389
Comments: 18
Kudos: 691





	And the Reason Is You

**Author's Note:**

> You know, if I had more time and wasn't trying to balance writing one fic a week and university, I would have probably made this fic longer and turned it into a proper magic-reveal fic where Arthur doesn't know about Merlin's magic yet. But since I don't have that time, I made the fic shorter and sweet, and tbh I quite like it :)
> 
> Title inspired by the song "The Reason" by Hoobastank.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Merlin honestly didn't know what he was thinking, but it was too late now to take it back. Not that he'd want to though. While helping a sorcerer run away from the knights of Camelot was a crime punishable by death, it was worth it when the sorcerer was just a little boy who'd begged Merlin for help telepathically.

Something like _that_ didn't happen often. It only took one look at the boy to make Merlin realize that he _had_ to help him. He was just a little boy with magic after all.

He was just like _him._

 _This way,_ he'd told him. _Run. Run!_

They were still running. Up the stairs, through the halls, praying that no one would see them and catch them.

The boy's hand was so little and weak. It only made Merlin's legs move faster as they rounded a corner and ended up at the only semi-safe space that Merlin could think of at the moment.

Arthur's chambers.

He hoped the prince wasn't inside—they had nowhere else to go and he wasn't sure whether Arthur would ever consider lying to his own father for the sake of a boy like this one. And for Merlin's, now that he was technically an accomplice.

It turned out he had no such luck.

The moment they burst through the door, Arthur looked up at him, eyes wide, his hand with a spoon stopping halfway to his mouth. When he spotted the boy, his eyes widened even more.

Before anything, Merlin closed the door.

Then he looked at Arthur with desperate, pleading eyes, as the boy kept leaning against him more and more with every passing second.

"Merlin-"

"The guards are after him. I didn't know what to do."

As soon as he finished with his brief explanation, there was a knock on the door. Merlin quickly stepped aside and moved closer to Arthur, not sure if he would even help them, but having no other choice. They'd known each other long enough by now to be friends (at least Merlin would like to think so), but would Arthur actually betray the king for him?

"My lord?" A guard spoke from behind the door.

Merlin looked up at Arthur again, his eyes pleading for him to help them. Arthur looked at the boy and then into Merlin's eyes and for a moment there, Merlin almost thought Arthur would hand them over to the guards. But then Arthur's eyes softened and something changed.

"Hide him in there," he said and pointed at a little door at the back wall that led to his antechamber.

Without hesitation, Merlin gripped the boy's hand tighter and ran for the door. Once they were safely inside, Merlin heard Arthur open the door to his chambers.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, my lord. We're searching for a young Druid boy. We believe he came this way."

"Why wasn't I informed of this?" Arthur answered, just as the boy collapsed in Merlin's arms, his eyes closing.

Merlin stopped listening to Arthur after that and was only aware of the door closing again and the silence that followed. Arthur must have left to help the guards search for the boy, who was now, thanks to him, _safely_ hidden in his own chambers.

It was only when Merlin noticed the blood on the boy's arm that he realized that he had no idea what to do next.

xoXÖXox

One look from Merlin.

One desperate look from Merlin and that was all it took for Arthur to say yes, _hide him in there,_ and be careful, I don't want anyone to find you and hurt you, you careless idiot, I love you too much and I'd never forgive myself if that were to happen.

Arthur was just glad he hadn't had enough time to blurt out the rest.

"Why wasn't I informed of this?" He asked the guard, finally coming back to his senses. "I haven't seen anyone," he added.

"He's just been found on the market, sire. His accomplice has already been caught."

Arthur nodded. "I'll help with the search then."

Before he left though, he looked back inside his chambers to maybe catch a glimpse of Merlin to make sure he was alright in there, but the door to his antechamber was already closed.

Alright then.

He followed the guard out of his chambers and closed the door, joining the rest of his knights in their search for the boy.

After a while, it occurred to Arthur that sometimes, he had no idea what he was doing. One moment he'd look into Merlin's pleading eyes, and in the next, he was already doing something he'd normally never even consider, and seriously questioning his decision-making skills, but never stopping.

He knew love could make people do crazy things, and he was no exception. Being in love with Merlin, a _sorcerer_ , in his father's kingdom was tough, but there was never a question about it. He _was_ in love with him and he knew about his magic (he wasn't _that_ stupid, he'd realized it months ago), and yet, Merlin himself had no idea.

And here he was again, betraying his king and pretending to search for a Druid boy that he himself had allowed to hide in his chambers. All because Merlin had given him _that_ look.

And Arthur could never say no to that face.

Sometimes, he wondered if Merlin knew about it. If he'd perhaps used this ability against Arthur before. Not that Arthur would mind, probably.

At this point, he hardly ever cared what Merlin wanted. One look and he was already doing it, going behind his father's back, never stopping to think about the consequences.

He was already lying to his king by protecting Merlin's magic in the first place, after all.

So he helped with the search, continued to pretend that he wasn't already harbouring one sorcerer (Merlin) and now another one (the boy), and he instructed his knights to search through the Lower Town, the courtyard again, and all the guest chambers in the castle.

With so many places to search through, Arthur knew he wouldn't be returning to his chambers for a while. But he knew Merlin, and he knew that he would need help with the boy.

And if it wasn't from Arthur, then he would need to send someone else to help Merlin instead.

There was only one person he trusted to care for a child while going against Uther like this.

With a sigh, Arthur sent the last group of his knights to look through the market, while he himself went to check if "Lady Morgana was okay and whether she'd seen the druid boy anywhere".

He arrived at her chambers moments later, knocking on the door.

Morgana's maid, Guinevere, was the one to answer. Morgana was standing right behind her. "What's going on?" she asked.

"There's a druid boy on the run, so we're searching the castle," Arthur informed her. Without waiting for an invitation, he entered her chambers and closed the door behind him.

Morgana was already frowning.

"I'm not having you mess up my things."

He lowered his voice. "Believe me, I have no intention of going through your things, and brushes and . . . _things_ ," he told her. She was still frowning at him but also smirking now. He sighed. "The boy is hiding in my chambers."

That erased her frown almost immediately.

"Merlin's with him, but I'm afraid I'm going to need your help."

xoXÖXox

Picking the boy up and getting him to lie in the bed in the antechamber was easier than Merlin had expected, and that alone was worrying. The boy's eyes were closed, he was very pale, and he was still bleeding a little through the makeshift bandage that Merlin had made for his arm.

He was no physician, he wasn't _enough._ But he had to do something.

He would heal him with magic, but he hadn't learned any good healing spells yet (and the ones he'd tried didn't work). And besides, he couldn't just heal the wound while his clothes were still covered in blood.

He'd never be able to explain it.

 _Oh, why did the wound disappear? You see, Arthur, the boy is a sorcerer, so I'm sure he healed it himself somehow while also, yes, still being unconscious_.

No, he had to treat him the traditional way. But would Gaius be willing to help?

Before he could really think about it, the door opened once again. Merlin carefully looked through the gap between the almost-closed door to the antechamber and the wall, and stopped moving to not make a sound.

Instead of Arthur though, he found Lady Morgana.

He watched as she closed the door and slowly neared Arthur's table, looking around. She didn't see him.

"Merlin? I know the boy is here, Arthur's asked me to help."

Did he? Did Arthur really, actually, ask someone for help for the first time in his life? Oh man, and Merlin _missed_ it?

"I'm here."

He pushed the little door open, letting Morgana know where he was. A deep and worried frown darkened her face as soon as she noticed the little boy lying there. Merlin agreed that the sight was pitying.

He was just glad that he didn't have to be the only one to see the boy like that anymore.

"How is he?"

"He's hurt." Merlin moved to make room for Morgana as she knelt down next to the boy. "He fell unconscious as soon as we arrived here, and he hasn't woken up since."

Morgana only nodded, but it was clear that she was worried about the boy.

Since they could do nothing to help the boy right now and his bleeding has almost stopped, Merlin decided to try to lift her spirits a little. "Did Arthur really ask you for help?" he asked. The thought of Arthur being all uncomfortable as he asked anyone for help was hilarious to Merlin. Although, he supposed he could just be imagining that.

Morgana nodded again, but no smile was on her face. "He did." After a pause, she added, "honestly, I'm surprised he's helping to hide the boy from Uther at all."

She was right about that.

"Oh yeah," Merlin agreed, "I had no idea what Arthur would do when I took the boy here. I never thought he'd just accept it and lie to the king like that. Why would he do that?"

"I can think of one reason."

She sounded so sure. When Merlin looked at her in confusion, she was already looking at him, offering no explanation save for a tiny hint of a smile on her lips.

If she was suggesting . . . that _Merlin_ was the reason . . . No, Merlin couldn't believe that. Getting his hopes up was never a good thing when it came to his (basically non-existent) love life. Besides, he had the boy to worry about now.

He cleared his throat.

"Well, at least he's safe here."

He looked at the boy again, gently placing his hand on his forehead. For now, the boy seemed fine, only unconscious. Merlin just hoped he'd wake up soon, otherwise, he'd really need to get Gaius.

In the meantime though, he and Morgana could come up with a plan and figure out what to do with him. Together, perhaps they might be able to help him.

xoXÖXox

As Arthur had expected, talking to his father was a waste of time. He'd never settle for anything less but execution for both the boy and the older Druid. Giving Uther all the information he'd learned from the guards—that the Druid was there only to collect supplies, that they meant no harm and were peaceful people—didn't help at all.

In the end, what he was left with was the order to search through the entire palace again and thoroughly and to report everything unusual he'd see back to the king.

Typical Uther.

Perhaps, a few months ago, Arthur would have questioned his orders less. But now, knowing that Merlin himself was a sorcerer _and_ a good person, and then seeing the little harmless boy almost collapsing in Merlin's arms . . .

He knew with certainty that he had to hide them both from Uther and keep them safe.

But he still had to carry out his orders and search the palace. So he decided to start with his own chambers to get it over with. At least when he was there, he could control where Sir Leon would be searching.

When Arthur entered his chambers again, the door to the antechamber was not fully closed and Morgana was standing by the table, pouring water into his goblet.

"Ah, Morgana," he greeted her, glancing towards the antechamber door again. Thankfully, he couldn't see anything inside and so neither would Leon. "Make yourself at home."

"My lady." Sir Leon bowed his head.

"You check this half of the room," Arthur instructed Leon, pointing to the opposite side of the room from the antechamber, "and I'll search this half."

"Sire." Sir Leon nodded and turned away from them.

When Arthur turned back to Morgana, her eyes were wide and fearful. She blinked and it was all away in a second though. "What exactly are you searching for then?"

"For any evidence that the Druid boy's in the castle," Arthur answered, starting to look around his chambers, pretending he was thoroughly searching for something just like Sir Leon.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. When he turned to look, he could just make out the last bit of child-sized boots walking backwards on their own, disappearing behind the antechamber door.

_Damn it, Merlin._

How could he be so careless?

Arthur looked through his wardrobe, and then inspected one of his many tables before finally approaching the antechamber. Without fully opening the door, he looked inside to check how Merlin and the boy were doing.

The boy was unconscious or sleeping, and Merlin was looking at him like he was seconds away from having a panic attack.

Arthur gave him a little reassuring wink and closed the door, walking back to Morgana and Sir Leon.

"Nothing here, sire," Leon reported.

Arthur nodded. "Go join the rest of the knights then. I need to talk to Morgana, but I'll be with you shortly."

Sir Leon nodded and left the chambers.

Everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief when he was gone.

"What were you thinking?" Morgana approached him almost immediately, a panicked frown back on her face. "Bringing in a knight to search through your own chambers? What a wonderful idea!"

"I had no choice," Arthur tried to explain. "Someone would come to search in here eventually and I thought it best if I was here for it. Or would you have preferred to be in here alone while a knight searches the room and finds the boy?"

Morgana pursed her lips but said nothing.

"How is he?" Arthur asked then, his eyes softening.

Morgana looked down. "He's not well. He's unconscious and very pale. I worry he may have lost a lot of blood."

Arthur nodded.

They would probably need Gaius to help them—if he was willing. The search would not end until the boy was safely outside the city walls or dead, and Arthur wouldn't allow that.

Morgana took the goblet with water and went back to the antechamber. Arthur followed her, watching the poor boy's chest slowly rise and fall as she knelt down by his side. He was glad he'd gone to her for help. He knew she would be useful.

But that didn't change the fact that they could not hide the boy here forever. Besides, they were all committing treason and the longer they lied to the king, the worse would be the consequences were someone to catch them.

"Merlin," Arthur called, his voice firm. "We need to talk."

Merlin looked up, clearly worried, but nodded. Arthur waited for him to get up and walk out of the antechamber before he took him by his arm and led him away from Morgana's earshot to the other side of the room behind his bed.

As soon as he let Merlin go, he started apologizing. "Arthur, I'm so sorry for hiding him in here, I didn't know where else to go, but I know I should have-"

Arthur raised his hand to stop him, but of course, that didn't help. " _Mer_ lin, I'm not here to listen to your sorry excuses," he told him. That worked and shut him up. "I only need to know what do you intend to do with him. We can't hide him here forever."

Merlin seemed to want to apologize again, but in the end, he just shrugged. "Well, I guess we'll have to take him back to his people."

Arthur agreed. But they needed a plan. "And how do you suggest we do that?"

Merlin shrugged again, but he seemed to be thinking. "We'll go in the night, and sneak out of here," he offered with a weak but hopeful smile. They both knew that it wasn't really a plan, but at least it was a start.

"Alright," Arthur sighed. "We'll think of the details later. Right now we need to focus to keep him out of sight and treat his wound. Only you, me, Morgana and Guinevere can enter my chambers to help, but no one else."

When Arthur finished, Merlin was smiling at him rather stupidly, not even trying to hide it.

"What?"

"Nothing," Merlin mumbled quickly, looking down. Then he pursed his lips and looked up at Arthur again, more confident. "I'm just . . . glad." He smiled again. "You're helping to hide a Druid in your chambers. You're lying to the king, and you seem so okay with it. I . . . I didn't expect that."

Arthur wasn't okay with it. He'd just gotten used to it.

"You know, for a moment there, when I first brought him here," Merlin continued, "I- I thought you were going to hand us over to the guards."

Well, that hurt. But Arthur could understand why Merlin would think that.

"You should know by now that I'd never do that."

Merlin looked up at him in confusion. "But he's a Druid. He has magic."

Arthur sighed. He knew what Merlin was _really_ asking. If Arthur was willing to hide a Druid from his father, would he also be willing to keep Merlin's magic a secret? Unbeknownst to Merlin, Arthur was already doing that.

Maybe he should tell him.

"The druids are peaceful people," he said instead. "And they were only collecting supplies when they came to Camelot. I don't care that they have magic. I can't let my father execute the boy." He sighed again. Despite what many people thought, he was _not_ his father. "My father is wrong," he added. He knew Merlin would appreciate it.

"Do you really think that?" Merlin asked quietly, his eyes full of hope.

"When it comes to executing innocent people who only happen to have magic or who use it for good, then yes."

Perhaps he really should tell him. It would make everything between them easier if the smile Merlin was giving him was any indication.

"Why are _you_ helping him?" Arthur challenged Merlin then. Maybe now that Merlin knew how Arthur felt, he'd tell him about his magic himself.

But Merlin's smile was gone in a second and he paled, and that was enough of an answer to Arthur. "Um, it was, it was a spur of the moment decision."

The way that Merlin was avoiding his eyes and stammering was honestly painful to watch. If he told Merlin he knew about his magic, maybe he'd never have to see Merlin so uncomfortable and scared again.

Decision made, he took a deep breath. "Merlin-" he paused and glanced at Morgana—she was sitting by the boy's side, still out of earshot. "Merlin, I _know._ "

If it was possible, Merlin got even paler. "Wh-what?"

"I know why you're helping him." He stepped closer. "I know about your magic."

Merlin took a tiny step back and it hurt Arthur more than anything before.

"Y-you-"

"It's alright," Arthur hastily put his hand on Merlin's shoulder to steady him and gave him a reassuring smile. "I've known for a while, and before you start apologizing again, I'm not angry. Well, not anymore."

Because Arthur was _really_ angry when he'd first realized the truth. He'd been harsh on Merlin, giving him enough chores to keep him away from his chambers so that he could think and ultimately decide not to report Merlin to the king. Because he _couldn't._

He could never betray Merlin like that.

"The point is, Merlin," Arthur continued as Merlin just kept staring at him with his mouth open and eyes wide, "that I know what keeping the boy safe means to you. You both have magic. And that is why I'm helping."

If this didn't get Merlin to talk and trust him, then Arthur didn't know what would.

Finally, Merlin closed his mouth and nervously swallowed. "But," he asked quietly, looking up at Arthur, "why would you do that for me?"

Arthur sighed again. Perhaps, it was finally time to come clean about everything. Ever since he'd found out Merlin had magic, he'd been watching him. Keeping a protective eye on him. And after all that time . . . he hadn't seen Merlin look at a girl once.

All Merlin ever kept looking at was _Arthur._

With his heart in his throat, Arthur took Merlin's hand and smiled at him. When Merlin didn't protest, he leaned in and kissed him, briefly but meaningfully.

When they parted, Merlin's eyes were still closed but his pale face had turned red instead.

"Was that enough of an answer for you?" Arthur asked when Merlin finally opened his eyes.

He nodded, a small smile on his lips, mirroring Arthur's.

"Can you two stop _snogging_ and come help me instead?" Morgana spoke up suddenly, surprising them both.

Within seconds, they were as far away from each other as they possibly could, both red in the face and staring at her. She only rolled her eyes at them, not seeming to care about what had just happened between them.

"Just come here," she said, already walking back to the antechamber. "He's waking up."

With one glance at each other, they nodded and followed Morgana to help her with the Druid boy. They didn't have a plan yet, that was true, but they had the start of one. And if they all worked together—Guinevere included—Arthur was confident that they would save the boy's life.

He looked at Merlin again—he was already looking at him—and nodded with a small smile. Merlin did the same. It was a promise that they would talk about everything that had happened between them later, when there was more time and privacy.

For now though, the boy was a priority.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think :)


End file.
